Uncommon Angels

It was a cold Sunday afternoon in Fort Worth when we met up with my parents to attend the grand opening of a new store my mother had discovered. She had been in the collectibles business for years at that time and kept her eye out for that sort of thing. One of her sales reps mentioned the new store, and mom had come across a flyer for the event.

Mom was very excited about this new “Uncommon Angels” store, and I’ll have to admit it piqued my interest too. What sort of angels are uncommon? Are these all angels, or are they rarer than the normal ones? The only way to find out was to go to the opening.

The store was in University Park. Driving to this area always made me think of the Fort Worth Zoo, just a little further down the road. I remember having family reunions there with my great grandparents on my father’s side. We all gathered together at the picnic tables by the old entrance before they paved it and made it a big parking lot. It seems like there were a hundred people there, and I didn’t even know a quarter of them.

I also remember going to the Log Cabin Village across the street from the zoo on a school field trip. It’s one of those living museums that give you a glimpse of the past. They moved in log cabins dating back to the early 1800s from all over North Texas. Talk about a place that never changes. I think it’s still the same as it was some forty years ago—untouched by modern life. I bet they’re still making those wax candles, one dip at a time.

We pulled into the parking lot and oozed out of the car. The cold wind stole my breath momentarily. I wrapped my coat around me but didn’t bother zipping it up; this is Texas, no need to get radical about the cold.

A warm breeze came from the shop door as I opened it. We all shuffled in. Glad I didn’t zip my coat—now I was hot. We began to peruse, and I was looking forward to getting my answer: What is an uncommon angel?

My wife and I decided to check out the left side of the store. My brother followed along with us. We began looking at the shelves along the wall. Mom and dad went down the middle. We saw all sorts of interesting things. There were decorative boxes and specialized tables. There were pretty cool mirrors on the wall. They had many lamps on display. I saw some very cool artwork. The longer we walked, the less my question was answered. Maybe the angels were in the back of the store.

Halfway down the aisle, I looked at my wife and asked, “Have you seen any angels at all?”

“Not so far,” she said.

“I thought we would have seen a few by now.”

“Me too.”

We hit the back of the store and rounded the corner where my parents were browsing.

“Mom,” I said, “I haven’t seen any angels at all.”

“I know. It’s weird,” she said.

“What was the name of this store again?” I asked.

“Uncommon Angels,” she said confidently.

She reached into her purse and pulled out the flier. She looked at me and then looked back at the paper. She looked at dad and then folded the page and put it back into her purse sheepishly.

“Uncommon Angles.” She said.

We all looked at each other and smiled. We had all been had. The store’s name was right there on the front when we walked in. The power of suggestion took over, and we all read the same thing: Uncommon Angels.

My question was never answered that day. Are all angels uncommon, or were these rarer than most? I can’t help but think there were a handful of angels collected just outside the store, looking through the window at the silly humans trying to find angels in an angles shop. They must have had a good laugh at our expense. Perhaps they were even entertained.

My youngest son was doing his math schoolwork on the couch a few days ago. As I walked by, he looked up at me.

“I keep misreading ‘angle’ as ‘angel’ in my math work. I don’t think angels are part of math.” He said.

“It’s ok, kiddo; that sort of thing runs in the family, apparently.”

And so, I recalled to him the story just told, and it made him giggle. I hope it gave you a good giggle too.

Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!


Hebrews 13:2